


Empire Of Dirt

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Werewolves are still a thing, BAMF Stiles, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Stiles, Living Together, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Private Investigator Stiles Stilinski, Puppies, Sterek Bingo 2017, Stiles Stilinski protects Derek Hale, Warning: Kate Argent, Warning: Kate literally threatens a puppy, no animals are harmed though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 02:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10957938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Derek has tried everything in his power to get rid of his obsessive stalker, the police were his last resort and now that he's been informed that they can't help him either he's ready to give up.... until someone gives him the number of a private investigator with very ...uniquemethods of getting rid of his problem once and for all





	Empire Of Dirt

**Author's Note:**

> I probably should have gone a little bit further with the *dark* part of the Dark Stiles theme to be perfectly honest, but I think ultimately it turned out ok ^^;

The sky was his favorite shade

That beautifull, soft shade of almost lilac, signalling the rising sun nearing closer

He hated this loneliness, this emptiness, he hated everything about this cold life he lead...

He had no one, well... almost no one anyway

He stretched out a little bit more, hugging his dog a little bit tighter as he stared at the roaring fire place in front of him, burning his blood-soaked clothes to destroy any evidence left behind on them

 

~+~

 

"You can't do ANYTHING? At ALL?"

The deputy shook her head, a tense frown on her face as she stared up at him

"I'm afraid not, the most you can do is file for a restraining order,"

"I've already tried that," Derek huffed back in frustration

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else we can do,"

His shoulders sagged, biting the inside of his lip with frustration as he reluctantly stood up and pushed away from the desk, head hung and sighing in frustration

"Thanks," he grumbled back as he started off towards the door, heart sinking and stomach twisted up until he felt like he was going to be utterly sick...

He didn't know what he was going to do anymore

This had been his last hope...

He was as good as dead at this point

"Excuse me," he heard, perking his head up and looking over his shoulder at the strawberry blonde woman who had called out to him, a slight frown creasing over his lips as he turned his attention towards her

"I think I might be able to help you," she said a second later

Derek doubted that, what could she do that the police couldn't?

"And how is that?" he frowned skeptically

The woman's lips ticked up in a slight smirk, stepping closer and handing the werewolf a business card

"Tell him that Lydia Martin sent you, if he can't help you, no one can,"

Derek was already pretty sure that no one could help him but... this was worth a shot atleast, right?

"And he's better than the police?" he asked

The woman- Lydia- snorted and rolled her eyes

" _Please_ , that's like asking if Gucci is better than _Walmart_ ,"

Well, that was certainly some comparison...

But he still looked a little skeptical

"Look, let me put it to you this way, if I were in your position, I would have been on his doorstep so fast you'd have seen smoke coming off of my heels,"

That was, admittedly, a little bit more convincing, and really, what did he have to lose?

Licking his lips, he looked down at the card in his hand, reading the name and title written on the front

**Stiles Stilinski  
Private Detective**

Well....

He might as well give it a shot, it wasn't like he had anything left to lose anyway right?

 

~+~

 

The building that the private detective was in seemed unusually normal

Derek had been expecting some kind of high-rise or something with the way Lydia had been promoting him but it was just an average office building, shared with other offices belonging to other people...

He wasn't sure about it

But again, what did he have to lose?

With a long, anxious breath he tapped on the office door, eyebrows raising in surprise when the sound of a small dog barking echoed through the building

"It's open!"

Well _that_ was encouraging

Inhaling through his nose, Derek pushed the door open and felt his eyebrows quirk in confusion

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting from a private detective, but it wasn't what he was ultimately met with

The guy was young, dressed casually, and... he was actually... really pretty...

Soft brown hair, small button nose, curved lips like the shape of a bow, pale, mole-speckled skin and gorgeous copper flecked brown eyes...

And there was a little Yorkie wandering around the floor in circles barking at him

"Can I help you?" the detective asked distractedly, not even bothering to look up from his pappers

"Um... I think so... I was sent here by a freind of your's, Lydia Martin?"

The detective paused abruptly, eyebrows raising as he slowly looked up from his work

"Lydia huh? Alright, sit down, what do you need me for?"

Derek nodded, slowly sitting down in front of the desk and taking a slow, deep breath

"I'm being stalked,"

"Stalked?" Stiles asked in surprise

That was a pretty typical reaction, no one ever seemed to believe Derek when he said that, and if they did, it was with pretty heavy reluctance

"By who?"

Atleast the detective got further than most people did at this point

"A woman I used to know.... a hunter,"

He saw the way the detective's face tensed and averted his gaze

The man smelled faintly of deer, flowers and herbs...

A _Stag_

"I see, and she's stalking you? Differently from the way hunters usually stalk people?"

"Yeah, this isn't the way a hunter stalks prey, it's the way a stalker stalks a victim, she follows me everywhere, she's sent me pictures of myself in private places, in the shower, on the street... she's sent letters harassing me and 'gifts' like perfume with Wolfsbane in it, vandalized my property... it's different than just how hunters usually go, wich is why I thought the police might be able to do something about it, but I guess not,"

"And this hunter.... does she have a personal connection to you in any way?"

"Yeah... she's been after me for years, she murdered my entire family, I'm the only one left,"

"And before that? Did you know her?"

"We had ... a relationship," he said quietly

He didn't know what to expect from that, he half figured that he would end up hearing some crass "Crazy ex" comment but instead, he heard something much, much different...

"What's her name?"

That was kind of an odd question to ask in the wake of things....

"Kate Argent," he said after a beat, eyes averting and biting his lip as he said it out loud, it felt like he was confessing some kind of filthy secret....

There was a flash of recognition in the detective's eyes, a sad, almost mournfull flash

Yeah... this guy knew Kate alright...

"Kate Argent doesn't have relationships, she has victims, I know that much, and for what little it might be worth, I'm sorry she ever knew you, and I'm sorry this is happening to you,"

"Thank you," Derek said quietly, eyes downcast as he rubbed his upper arm

Stiles just gave a small nod, taking a breath as he adjusted his seat

"I take it you've already tried pretty much everything at your disposal such as restraining orders and skipping town?"

"Plenty of times,"

Stiles took in a deep breath, leaning across his desk and locking eyes with the werewolf

"I can help you, essentially there are three different levels of services I can offer,"

"Ok," Derek said slowly, leaning a little closer as well

"Level one is pretty basic, I'll track her down and get evidence that she's stalking you- get something they can arrest her for, give you a basic home security package with a camera-operated surveillance system, mostly outdoor, maybe one or two cameras indoor, plus my personal emergency contact number, in your case I wouldn't recommend this one but I feel obligated to tell you anyway,"

Derek wouldn't recommend that plan either, honestly, he already knew it wouldn't do much good

"Level two is more advanced, full security system with lots of surveillance, indoor and outdoor cameras that connect back to me so I can get live video feeds if something happens, a two-way intercom system located in four different rooms for emergencies, my personal emergency contact number as well as an emergency contact pager, at this level I'll track her down and scare her off, I'll make _sure_ that she gets the message that you're not one to be messed with, the police may or may not be involved, and you have a lifetime gurantee, if she comes back, I come back to deal with her,"

Level two sounded.... incredible, actually, he was definitely interested, but he couldn't imagine what level three was...

"Level three is full safety and protection, full security system with all of the bells and wistles from level two, intercoms in six rooms, hidden bugs, a panic alarm button that will sound off alarms in the house and signal back to me, besides the emergency contacts I already have mentioned I'll also outfit you with a tracking panic bracelet- pretty simple, press the button and I'll get the signal no matter where you are and come running, I also offer live-in services, if you want, I'll stay with you until the job is done, or you can stay with me, whatever makes you more comfortable, and as for Argent.... the police won't need to be involved, you have my word that she won't bother you, or anyone else, ever again,"

Derek felt chilled

He felt.... he wasn't quite sure what he felt, to be honest, whatever this sensation was, he hadn't felt it in ages, couldn't remember a word to label it with

"How much is level three?" he asked, grabbing his wallet immediately in preperation to write a check for however much Stiles wanted

Protecting himself may not be worth much- if anything at all- but getting revenge for his family?

That was worth everything

"Nothing, you don't pay,"

Derek frowned, pursing his lips

"But-"

"You don't need to pay, trust me, getting Kate Argent is practically a passion project of mine, you don't need to pay,"

Derek knew he should object, but just looking at Stiles' face told him that the detective wasn't going to budge, and Derek's energy would be best spent elsewhere

"If... you're really sure,"

"I'm sure, now onto the more important question," Stiles insisted, leaning back in his chair and smirking slightly

"Your place or mine?"

 

~+~

 

Ultimately Derek decided to just stay at Stiles' home, save the other the trouble of setting up so much security equipment for him, given that Stiles' house was already outfitted with it

"I don't have the bugs or the panic buttons or intercoms or anything, obviously, that'd be kinda pointless, but I do have the cameras and alarms," he explained as he opened the door

Derek just gave a quiet nod, stepping inside and taking a look around

The house was nice, certainly

It was big and roomy and the fireplace in the living room gave it a nice, warm feeling but...

But there was a coldness to it too, a loneliness that made it feel like Stiles rarely had visitors

Not that Derek was one to judge, ofcourse, he _never_ had visitors- and atleast Stiles had a dog

"Thank you... you have a nice place," he mused

"You think so? Thanks, Lydia's the one who pushed me to buy it, I probably could've gone for a smaller place myself but she kept going on and on about how good the deal was that I couldn't tell her no, it really sucks to have a best freind who's cousin is a real estate agent,"

"I like it," Derek assured him, adjusting the strap of his duffle bag against his shoulder as he took a carefull step closer to the living room

"Well thank you, just make yourself at home ok? Sit anywhere you want, relax, you'll be here for a little wile so don't be afraid to get comfortable," Stiles insisted, letting the dog off of her leash and watching with amusement as she raced over to the couch and jumped up on it

"Well, anywhere you want except there apparently, Diana is the princess of this household so she gets whatever she wants," Stiles chuckled

"Princess Diana? Was that intentional?" Derek asked teasingly

"Sure as hell was, Diana, Princess Of Themyscira," Stiles grinned, immediately heading to the living room after her to take her harness off

"You named her after Wonder Woman?" Derek grinned

"Is there a _problem_ with that?" Stiles asked with raised eyebrows

"No no, no problem, I'm just... surprised, I guess," Derek shrugged back, taking a few steps closer

"I like it though, it's cute,"

"You really think so? Thanks," Stiles smiled back, pulling Diana into his lap and reaching onto the coffee table to grab the phone

"I'm gonna order some take out, what do you want? Pizza? Chinese? Delli?"

"O-Oh you don't have to ... I mean, you're helping me out for free, the last thing I want to do is take more from you,"

"It's no problem, I mean I have to eat too, I'm not exactly going to eat and not offer you anything,"

"Still... I should pay for whatever it is, or at the absolute least, maybe I can cook for you,"

"Derek-"

"It wouldn't be a problem, really, I'd be more than happy to do it, and I'm not ... _horrible_ at cooking so..."

Stiles was quiet for a few moments before finally sighing and letting his shoulders sag

"Well... it has been a wile since I've had anything that didn't come out of a box... but only if you promise you aren't doing it out of obligation,"

"Trust me," Derek grinned, "I'm doing it because I want to,"

 

~+~

 

Admittedly, Stiles _could_ cook... he just didn't really see much reason to, outside of making food for his dog

He had no time or energy for cooking with his job being as high-stress and time consuming as it was and he hadn't had anything homecooked in _years_ , so he may have gotten a little over excited when he realized that Derek wasn't just going to slap together some sandwiches or something, but was actually going to _cook_

"So do you do this professionally or what?" he asked over the sound of the music that he had put on

Stiles used to always play music when he cooked, back when, you know, he bothered with cooking that is

"Oh um... no, it was just something I picked up, I used to spend alot of time with my mom in the kitchen," the werewolf explained with a shrug, licking a bit of sauce off of his thumb

"Really? Me too, that's how I learned to like it, I didn't learn alot of skills from it unfortunately though, most of those were self-taught, I used to have to take care of my dad to make sure that he was eating healthy so..."

Or eating at all, really

"You don't anymore?" Derek asked curiously

"Nah.... he got remarried a few years ago to my best freind's mom, she takes care of him now," Stiles replied quietly

He had to admit though, he missed it, he missed having someone to take care of, as crazy as that might sound, it was around the time of their wedding that he got Diana actually...

"I'm glad to hear that he's doing well atleast- do you have any carrots?"

Stiles gave a quick nod, moving towards the fridge to get the carrots out

"I take it you just cook because you like it?" the Stag asked curiously as he handed him some carrots

"Not really, most restaurant food has so many chemicals soaked into it... not that what you buy from the store is much different but it's ... well, my family always liked to make our own food when we could, I haven't in a few years though, I've been moving around so much that I haven't had the luxury to ever settle in,"

"Well trust me, you'll settle in here," Stiles promised, hips starting to sway to the music as he moved over to the stove to check on the pasta

"Thank you for this... I really can't thank you enough,"

"Seriously dude, it's my job, no need to thank me, and like I said, I have a personal vendetta with Kate Argent so it's really my pleasure,"

"A family member?" Derek guessed quietly, moving a few vegetables onto the cutting board in front of him

"No... my best freind's fiance', Argent's own neice, she was going after Scott and Allison was trying to protect him... she ended up getting hit instead, Scott is too kind-hearted to go after Argent himself though, and I've never been able to just put everything on hold to look for her myself so I rely on any leads that come my way, you're like a gold mine,"

"Well thank you," Derek snorted teasingly, a small smile on his face as he looked over his shoulder and noticed that the simple swaying of Stiles' hips had turned into full-on dancing now

"You know what I mean, I'm just lucky you landed in my lap,"

"So am I, it must have been fate that your freind was at the police station at the time,"

"Fate?" Stiles snorted, taking Derek's hand and pulling him away from the counter, silently encouraging the werewolf to dance with him

"HELL no, her fiance' is a deputy there and she uses him as an excuse to poach clients for me from anyone who walks out of the station dissatisfied, she's loyal, let me tell you, especially after I bought this house, not only does she take work away from her own fiance' but from my dad too, since he's the sheriff,"

"Is it really taking work away if they won't take my case though? And it isn't like I'd pay them, they do get paid by the government," Derek pointed out with a slight laugh

He was, admittedly, pretty reluctant to do any kind of dancing, but... well... Bruno Mars was hard to resist, and Stiles was even harder, and he soon found himself dancing with the detective, laughing here and there as Stiles spun him around and swayed close to him, pressed nearly flat together as they moved around the kitchen

"Good point, thanks for taking that off of my conscious," Stiles grinned

He had plenty to feel guilty for in the world and he definitely didn't need that too

"No problem, you're getting rid of my stalker, I'm getting rid of your guilt, sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement,"

"Dude, you're feeding me, we hit mutually beneficial a LONG time ago,"

Derek tossed his head back and laughed, a grin plastered to his face as they moved

It was too early to tell- and far too early to get his hopes up- but this...

This felt good

It felt better than anything he had felt in years

 

~+~

 

That night had been amazing, Derek was actually happy and that...

That was almost strange to feel at this point

After cooking dinner Stiles had prompted him to watch some movies together and... well...

They hadn't gone to bed until almost two in the morning

Derek couldn't believe how comfortable the guest room was either, not because it was an especially warm and cozy room on it's own, but because he just felt so amazing, so safe and comfortable knowing that Stiles was right down the hall and ... and that he was happy for once

It felt so good that he actually fell asleep without any problems that night

But the most amazing part was that that wasn't a fluke experience

As a matter of fact they spent an entire week like that, caught up with eachother and just ... being near eachother

Stiles left in the mornings to work at his office, Derek stayed at the house and did a variety of little things like cleaning and cooking to help him out

He started taking Stiles lunch and even started baking- wich was something he hadn't felt good enough to do since he was a teenager

Stiles would come home in the early evenings and do papperwork, hang out with Derek, watch TV and play with Diana together...

It felt oddly comfortable, like ...

Like it was _normal_

And God, Derek hadn't had _normal_ in any period shorter than he had had _good_....

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Stiles, I'll be FINE, I'm buying groceries, not going to an army base,"

"I know that I just meant... you don't have to do all of this stuff for me Derek, I'm supposed to be protecting you, not using you as my cook and my maid and my errand boy..."

"You aren't _using_ me for anything, trust me, I'd know, I'm doing these things because I _want_ to Stiles.... let me,"

Taking a deep breath, Stiles nodded and licked his lips, stepping back to give Derek room to grab his coat

"Just be carefull ok? You remember how to use your panic bracelet?"

"I remember,"

"Ok... ok, and uh, could you do me a favor and pick up some more t-r-e-a-t-s for Diana?"

Derek paused, eyebrows raised and an amused smirk on his face

"You have to spell it?"

"If I say the word she'll think I'm giving her one and I don't have t-r-e-a-t-s at my office,"

"I'll pick some up," Derek promised, giving a quick wave before heading out and smiling to himself

He could get used to this....

He could really, honestly, get used to this

 

~+~

 

The groceries were in the car, the dog treats included, and Derek had decided to do something a little bit ... different

Christmas was just a few weeks away and he couldn't help noticing that Stiles' house was a little... bare... of anything related to the holiday

He knew that Stiles celebrated, he had overheard the detective discussing plans to go to his father's house for the holidays in a couple of weeks, and as if that weren't enough, he had even told Derek a few fond Christmas memories too

He wasn't quite sure why Stiles didn't seem to have anything to do with it now, and judging by his chemo signals he obviously didn't hold any kind of grudge or bitterness towards the holiday and had nothing but fondness for the memories- nothing bittersweet or sad

But he had decided, wile he was out anyway, to just... pick up a couple of things

Nothing as presumptuous as a tree ofcourse, but little things that Stiles could just as easily use as winter decor or year-round or.... you know... return to the store...

He hoped Stiles liked them, he really, truly, hoped that he did

He was on his way back to the car now, adjusting his bags on his arm as he paused, hearing a quiet, desperate little wimpering and wasting no time in turning on his heel to walk hurriedly towards the sound

When he looked towards the sound he found himself facing down a long, dark alley- _seriously_ \- and finding a box sitting there in front of him...

A wimpering box...

A box, he found, that contained a tiny, crying puppy...

He immediately reached down, cooing softly and picking up the little dog, his heart practically breaking in half as he did

The puppy could only be four weeks old at the oldest, and that just... made him sick, that someone would separate this little puppy from her mother at such a young age, and not to mention leave her out here in a box to possibly die...

He cooed softly to the tiny dog, holding her close to his chest and hearing a quiet click behind him, blood running cold as he turned around and came face to face with Kate

"You are SO predictable Derek, I knew you'd fall for that,"

"You did this?" Derek hissed in horror, cradling the little puppy closer

"What? Are you REALLY surprised? I mean putting dogs out of their misery is practically my job, is it so surprising I'd use one as a trap?"

Derek growled lowly in his throat, eyes flashing blue as he started to allow his fangs to drop

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, if you try to fight back your little freind there might get hurt in the crossfire, as a matter of fact..... I'd be willing to _gurantee it_ ,"

"Monster!!!"

It took a special kind of disgusting to threaten a dog, and especially a puppy...

But worse than that, Derek knew that she meant it

"You haven't been home lately Derek... where've you been? Staying with a freind? A girlfreind? Oh Derek... don't tell me you're going to try _that_ again, wasn't getting ONE innocent girl killed enough for you?"

Derek swallowed, feeling the puppy starting to tremble in his hands as he backed up against the alley wall and discreetly pressed his wrist against the brick- _hard_ , making absolutely sure that the button on his panic bracelet was pressed

"Shut up...." he growled

"Why should I? It isn't like you can hurt me, not without hurting your new freind too," she cackled, sauntering a step closer as Derek pressed himself flush against the wall

She was right

As much as he hated it with every last fiber of his being....

She was right

He couldn't do anything without potential harm coming to the puppy and Derek wasn't willing to risk it...

He swallowed, pressing harder against the wall as Kate advanced a step closer and licked her lips

"Honestly, you're too innocent for your own good," she chuckled

"But I'm not," came a voice from behind her

Kate spun around as Stiles caught her wrists in one hand, immediately grabbing the blade that she kept in a sheath at her side and pressing it up against her throat

"Ohhhh, how funny, the dog hired a guard dog..." she chuckled, eyes narrowing dangerously as she kicked upwards, aiming for Stiles' groin as Stiles hurried to move one leg away and catch her own against it, nocking her off of her feet and bending one arm behind her back

Kate wasn't done though, she used her free hand to snatch the blade again and stab Stiles in the stomach

A shout echoed from him as he loosened his grip enough for her to get away with a frustrated huff

"I'll see you Derek, sooner rather than later this time," she threatened, brushing a strand of hair out of her face before running as fast as she could

Derek swallowed tightly, hurrying towards Stiles with a shakey breath

She was right...

Good times were over, because Stiles knew she was right...

 

~+~

 

"Seriously dude, didn't anyone ever teach you about Stranger Danger?" Stiles asked with a frown

"I'm sorry," Derek said quietly, looking down and feeling his shoulders sag

He hadn't meant to cause Stiles any trouble, really, and he certainly hadn't meant to put the Stag in any more danger than he was already in

He felt terrible that it was essentially his fault that Stiles had gotten stabbed, even though the wound had healed already

"Don't apologize," the detective said with a slight sigh, crossing his arms over his chest

"I just don't want you getting hurt, you're lucky you were near my office at the time, I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did,"

"I know," Derek added quietly

Stiles' shoulders sagged, a slightly more sympathetic look coming across his face as he moved forward and placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, prompting the wolf to look up at him

"I'm glad you're ok though, really, and not just because you're my client,"

Derek glanced up, a small, shy smile on his face as he and Stiles met eyes

"Thanks,"

"Ofcourse... now, what're you going to name this little angel?"

Derek blinked, glancing down at the puppy in his lap and feeling his cheeks turn pink

"I haven't really thought about it yet..."

"Well if you want my suggestion, go with Kara, we've already got Wonder Woman so I think Supergirl would be a really cute sisterly connection here,"

"Ok,"

Honestly, Stiles wasn't expecting that

"Um- ... what?"

"I said ok, I'll name her Kara,"

It took a few seconds for that to register- that Derek was actually taking his advice, that he was naming the dog a _matching name_ to Stiles' own dog.. but once it really sunk in...

Stiles gave a soft, warm smile, sinking down to the floor and very gently petting the puppy's head

"Kara it is then,"

 

~+~

 

Derek awoke to wimpering

He jolted awake, heart pounding, as he immediately fumbled to turn the lamp on and look down at the little storage container they were using as a makeshift bed/crate for Kara to sleep in

Sure enough, she was standing up, paws pressed against the edge and trying to get Derek's attention

He sighed, about to force himself to atleast pretend to go back to sleep, sure that this was just separation anxiety as puppies usually had sleeping on their own, until he noticed that the sound was coming from two different places...

Looking at the other end of the room, Derek noticed that there was wimpering coming from the hallway too, and a slight scratching at the door

"Diana?" he asked in confusion, rolling out of bed and making his way to the bedroom door

Sure enough, upon opening it, the Yorkie hurried inside and started to paw at his legs for attention

"Shouldn't you be with Stiles?"

It was one of the first things he noticed about living here, when Stiles went to bed Diana went with him and the detective kept the door shut all night

Derek slept with the door closed too so he didn't think anything of it until Stiles mentioned one afternoon that he started doing that to keep Diana from getting into things in the middle of the night so...

Stiles wouldn't have just left the door open for no reason

Heart starting to pound, he hurried to the opposite end of the hall and found with dread that the room was empty, door open, and everything neatly in place

He turned on the hall light, rushing downstairs and barreling towards the living room to peek out of the windows

"His car's gone...."

Cursing quietly, Derek gritted his teeth and tossed his head back

Stiles had gone to see Kate, he was sure of it, but why the hell had he left in the middle of the night like this without telling him?

Weren't they closer than that?

Something didn't feel right...

Maybe it was Derek's own separation anxiety kicking in, but he had an anxious twist in his stomach that wasn't going away

With a frustrated huff, he turned towards Stiles' computer, wondering if he might find something decent there

Stiles had given him the password to his home laptop so Derek could check security footage whenever he wanted, and the computer had been left on for some odd reason, maybe Stiles wanted him to find something...

Swallowing tightly, he grabbed the desk chair and pulled it aside, sliding closer to the desk and logging into the computer

The first thing that popped up on screen was a map with a little blinking red light on it, and after a little bit of digging, Derek realized what that light was

A tracker....

At some point Stiles had planted a tracker on Kate- probably when he grabbed her dagger- and that was why he had chosen tonight to go after her

Stiles had her address

And now that Derek was looking at the tracking information himself, he had it too, and he planned on putting that knowledge to good use

 

~+~

 

Stiles always had loved his ability to sneak trackers on people

It ranked right up there at the top along with picking locks and guessing passwords as some of his favorite illicit talents

Now that he had found Kate, all he had to do was wait for an opening

He had been crouching in the bushes outside of her house for just over a half hour now, and it seemed like his waiting had finally paid off

She seemed to have fallen asleep on the couch- perfect opportunity to ambush her

Was that dirty? Yeah, but everything Kate Argent _did_ was dirty, Stiles knew that

Besides, it wasn't like his line of work was what anyone might call "honorable" anyway, what did he have to lose?

He swallowed tightly, taking a deep breath and starting out of the bushes

He had his dart-gun at the ready, filled up with anesthetics that would keep her passed out more than long enough for Stiles to get everything set up for the kill, and she seemed to be a sitting duck now, the porch door was even unlocked

....

Wich meant that there was a problem, as Stiles realized too late

The moment he slid the door open, he had a bullet flying straight past him, grazing his cheek as it flew into the trunk of the tree behind him

And Kate, brandishing her gun proudly and smirking over the back of the couch, was the clear culprit

"You didn't really think it would be that easy did you?"

Stiles snorted, holstering his dart gun for now and pulling a dagger of his own from the sheath on his leg

"You know, for a second there, yeah, I kinda did,"

 

~+~

 

Derek didn't know what the hell he was doing

In all of his life, the only time he had ever physically confronted anyone was when they "confronted" him first and he was fighting for his life

But deliberately doing something like this....

He had never done anything like it, and honestly, he was pretty nervous....

But if Stiles could do it, then so could he

He moved forward as quietly as he possibly could, eyes narrowed as he stared through the window, before widening in fear and anxiety as he stared through the window and took note of Stiles

He was inside and tied to a chair...

Derek's gut was right, Stiles DID need him for some reason

Steeling himself, he tightened his grip on his gun and charged forward, hurrying to get inside before the worst happened

 

~+~

 

"Look at you... all tied up and at my mercy... you really aren't as smart as you think,"

"And you aren't as dumb as you look, but who's counting?" Stiles smirked back

Kate narrowed her eyes, reeling her hand back and slapping him hard in the face

"You know, I've always wanted to kill a Stag, something both types of hunters seem to have in common, and now I'm about to get what I want," she smirked, drawing her nife out of her sheath again as she stepped closer to him

"I've only heard of two methods of killing you... cut out your heart, or cut off your head... wich shall I start with?"

"Start with yourself," Stiles snapped in anger, licking his lips

He was so close here... so close.....

He just needed her to move a little bit closer and he'll have her-

Unfortunately, he didn't get that far, watching in shock as a big black wolf suddenly pounced forward and bit hard into Kate's shoulder, nocking her to the ground

The hunter screamed, elbowing him in the back of the head and forcing him off of her

The wolf yelped and Stiles cursed under his breath, he was going to have to go with Plan B...

He threw himself backwards as hard as he could, breaking the chair easily upon impact before rushing forward and stabbing the poison-coated needle into Kate's leg, watching as the hunter started to struggle but soon fell utterly limp and unconscious

Stiles huffed, staring down at her and starting to peel the rope off of his wrists, an annoyed look on his face as he stared over at Derek, who had just shifted out of his wolf form

"Honestly, WHY did you do that?"

"You... I thought you needed help," he said quietly, a sad, startled look on his face as he stared at the detective

"I _had_ it..."

He watched Derek's face as it shifted down to something sad and guilty, heaving a sigh as he stepped over the hunter's body and gave Derek a tiny smile, setting his hand on Derek's shoulder

"Hey... thank you for trying, thanks for... coming here, although I wish you hadn't, you put yourself at risk,"

"I know..."

"Then don't do that again next time ok?"

"Next time?" Derek asked in confusion

Stiles cleared his throat, a small, shy smile on his face as he stared up at the werewolf

"I um.... I've actually been hoping to ask you something... see... I think this thing we have going is kind of awesome, and I could DEFINITELY need a little bit of ... secretarial help? Someone who could help around the house and help me keep organized and... stuff... and I was just thinking, if you aren't busy or anything-"

"I'd love to stick around," Derek interrupted excitedly, a bright smile on his face

"O-Oh! Great! That... that's super, really, now um, you should _probably_ leave before this gets ugly, I don't think you want to watch,"

Derek was quiet for a moment, thinking that over

Did he?

Did he want to watch the woman who took away his family- took away EVERYTHING and EVERYONE he had ever had- lose her life...?

"Derek," Stiles said slowly, reaching up to gently cup his face and pressing a soft kiss to his lips

"GO, I don't want you to watch,"

Slowly, Derek gave a nod of his head, taking a deep breath and stepping towards the door so he could go back out to his car (and his clothes) but pausing suddenly

"Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"Give me your cell phone,"

Stiles blinked in surprise at him, watching as Derek took off his panic bracelet and handed it to him

Stiles smiled slightly, grabbing his phone and trading as he snapped the bracelet over his wrist

"Thanks,"

"Ofcourse, I need you to come back- soon, if you can, I... may have forgotten to tell you that I bought you something earlier,"

"You..."

"It's... it's not a big deal just... a little light up deer in a box... for um... a Christmas decoration,"

Stiles smiled warmly, expression soft

"I haven't seen it yet, but I already love it, now hurry up and get going before she wakes up,"

Derek nodded, finally leaving as ordered and giving Stiles the privacy he needed to finally do what he had been itching to do for so many years now: Get rid of Kate Argent

 

~+~

 

When Stiles came home a few hours later, he found the little light up deer sitting on the coffee table, illuminating the living room where he found Derek, Diana, and Kara, all curled up together on the couch, apparently having been waiting on him

God, how had he gotten this? How had he gotten so lucky?

He knew it was too early to assume, or to hope, but...

He couldn't help feeling that this was something he might just be able to keep...

"Hey," Derek yawned, apparently sensing Stiles' presence enough to stir awake

"Hey yourself," Stiles hummed, taking a step closer and leaning down as Diana too woke up and started stumbling towards him

"It's over now, she's gone.... you'll never have to worry about her again, and your family can rest in peace,"

Derek stared at him for a long, silent moment, and for a minute there Stiles thought he was about to cry

But he didn't, instead he just leaned up, thanking Stiles one last time and giving him a soft, emotional kiss

"Don't thank me.... now speaking of resting in peace, you seriously need to go to bed, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Derek snorted, a slight grin on his face as he slowly got up and started walking towards the stairs

"Hey uh... Derek?"

"Mm?" the wolf yawned back

"If, you know, you're feeling a little anxious or anything about all the stuff that's happened tonight or ... whatever... you could sleep in my room... if you want,"

Derek looked utterly shocked, and for a second there Stiles thought he had gone too far, but then-

"I'll get Kara's box,"

Stiles smiled brightly, reaching down to pick up Diana as he walked over to the little light up deer and hesitated, his finger over the off-button

Somehow, in only a matter of days, he had gone from loneliness, to having some kind of small beginnings of a family...

In all of the darkness in his life- and with his job being what it was, there was no shortage of that- it looked like he had finally found the light


End file.
